A piano consists of 7 natural notes namely C, D, E, F, G, A, B. These seven notes are spread over 12 keys. The distance between each Piano key is known as half step or semitone. A sharp (#) or flat (b) sign in front of any note indicates that you have to move a half step right or left respective. Thus, any neighbor of a natural note can be labeled as a sharp or flat note. The sharp and flat note adds variations to the tune and allows us to change the pitches. A Piano player must learn the concept of sharp and flat keys.
Difference in Movement
Sharp means you have to move a semitone upward and play the next key towards the right of the mentioned natural note. You will recognize a sharp note when you see ‘#’ in front of a note. For example, C# (C sharp) refers to the black key next to C on the right side and B# (B sharp) refers to C.
Whereas Flat means you have to move a semitone downward and play the next key towards the left of the mentioned natural note. You will know that you have to play a flat note when you notice ‘b’ in front of a note. For example, Gb (G flat) refers to the black key next to G on the left side and Fb (F flat) refers to E.
Thus, Sharp note means moving a half step towards the right and flat note means moving a half step towards left.
On The Same Piano Key Yet Different
Sharp and flat notes include all the black keys and B, C, E, and F. If you label all the keys based on the natural, sharp and flat notes then you will notice that a single key represents both sharp and flat notes. For example, the key at a semitone right from G is G# as well as Ab because it is a semitone left from A.
Now the questions are:
How to decide if the piano key G# or Ab? And what is the difference if the piano key is the same?
You know if a note is sharp or flat when you observe the difference in pitch caused by it. While you are playing a piece, if the given note lowers the pitch then it’s a flat note whereas if it rises the pitch then it’s a sharp note. The piano key will be referred to as G# or Ab based on its role in the music piece. If you notice an increase in the pitch then its G# and if you hear a fall in the pitch then its Ab. The difference is also defined by the role of the piano key. If you will just observe the piano keyboard you will find the key both as a sharp and a flat note but when you will play the piano you will notice the difference.
Now you know how to differentiate between a sharp and a flat note. The next step is to understand the key signature and the role of sharp and flat keys.
What Is The Key Signature?
The group of sharp or flat symbols placed beside the clef in staff is known as the key signature. The key signature depicts the key of the scale. If a sharp symbol is placed on the position of note then it means while playing the piece you have to play the sharp note instead of the natural (♮) note. And the same follows for the flats. For example, in f major scale, b is placed near the clef and on the position of B, which implies while playing f major you will play Bb instead of B♮.
How Do You Recognize The Key With The Help Of The Signature?
Sharp
For identifying the key using a signature with sharps you have to focus on the last sharp symbol. Observe the position of the last sharp and write down the corresponding note. Next, add 1 to the note and you will get the required key.
For example, if the last sharp symbol is placed at the position of A then A plus one will give you B. That means the key is B major. If the last symbol is in F then the key is G major.
You can remember the scales that include sharps by counting 4 notes towards the right. For example, G major scale includes 1 sharp, that you can find out by subtracting one from the G, (F#), now you count 4 notes towards the right and you will get D as the 4th note. D major includes two sharps – F# and (D-1) C#. And this pattern will continue forming the order of sharps – F C G D A E B (mnemonic – Furry Cats Go Dancing Around, Entertaining Bosses)
The calculation is basic addition and you can easily recognize the key with the help of the signature.
Flat
If the staff consists of flat symbols beside the clef then focus on the symbol just before the last one, the penultimate flat symbol. Just observe the position of the last but one flat and you will know the key. For example, if you notice that the penultimate symbol is placed in B then the key is Bb major.
To note down the scales including flats you can count 4 notes towards the left. For example, Bb involves two flats – The first is Bb and for the second one count 3 notes towards the right (C, D, E) that will give you Eb. For finding out the next scale count 4 notes towards the left (A, G, F, E), this means the Eb major scale includes 3 flats – Bb, Eb and (F, G, A) Ab. The pattern continues forming the order of the flats- B E A D G C F (mnemonic- BE A Dedicated Great Caring Friend)
Intriguingly the key signature is identical for a major and its relative minor scale. To find out the relative minor just count 2 towards the left. For example, for the G major scale (F, E), E is the relative minor, which means G major and E minor have the same key signature. You can also find accidental notes in a staff. Accidental notes mean the sharps, flats or naturals included the staff that are not a part of the key signature. For accidental notes, the sharp or flat symbol is placed before the note.
Conclusion
While playing the piano, you should be very careful regarding the sharps, flats and the naturals. It’s the art of playing with these pitches that allows you to create melodious tunes. Sharps and flats may appear similar but they are completely different. Once you are well informed about the notes and keys, you will be able to play fluently. Always remember sharp raises the pitch and flat lowers it.
